Giant refines and updates 2017 XC mountain bikes

Giant refines and updates 2017 XC mountain bikes

Updated frames and geometry equal more capability for 2017

Giant's Anthem Advanced conquers XC action with 27.5" wheels, an updated geometry, and 120/110mm travel front and rear

Courtesy

Russell Eich

Published: June 30, 2016 at 10:36 am
Giant's Anthem Advanced conquers XC action with 27.5" wheels, an updated geometry, and 120/110mm travel front and rear - Courtesy
The Anthem Advanced SX bumps up front travel to 130mm for more confidence in rougher terrain - Courtesy
With 110mm of XC-fast rear suspension, the alloy Anthem is an cross country rocket - Courtesy
The Anthem SX is ready for more technical XC trails with a 130mm fork, dropper post, and stout alloy frame - Courtesy
Giant's new Advanced Forged Composite Technology allows a lighter, stiffer, and stronger link - Courtesy
Giant pro Carl Decker showing what the new Anthem can do - Courtesy
A trunnion mount for the rear shock lets Giant shorten the rear end and lower the suspension ratio - Courtesy
140mm out back and 150mm up front means the Trance Advanced can charge some nasty tracks - Courtesy
The Trance is highlighted by an ALLUX SL alloy frame, 140/150mm Fox shocks, and 27. 5" hoops - Courtesy
XC ripper turned enduro charger Adam Craig surfs some loam on the Trance - Courtesy
Giant's Fathom 27.5 is perfect for getting a taste of sweet singletrack action - Courtesy
With 29" wheels and a 100mm fork, the Fathom 29 can roll over it all - Courtesy
From trail days with buddies to toeing up to a start line, the Fathom bikes are ready - Courtesy
Loaded with a carbon frame and 27 tires, the new XTC Advanced can take XC to a whole new level - Courtesy
The XTC Advanced 29 is more of a purpose built XC racing whip, but it can handle 27 wheels and tires if that's your style - Courtesy
Strip the gears and multiply the fun with the XTC Advanced SS - Courtesy
You can be sure Adam Craig gave the XTC 27 prototypes a proper shakedown - Courtesy

For 2017 Giant has taken its venerable line of XC full suspension and hardtail bikes and made them lighter and stiffer, and also made significant updates to the shock linkages of some models. Pricing and availability were not available at the time of writing.

More capable Trance and Anthem

Starting with the full-sus rigs, Giant updated the upper shock link using its Advanced Forged Composite Technology. It's a mouthful for sure, but the tech allows Giant to craft the upper link of its Maestro suspension out of carbon, which it claims is lighter, stiffer, and stronger than its alloy counterpart.

Giant's new Advanced Forged Composite Technology allows a lighter, stiffer, and stronger link: Giant's new Advanced Forged Composite Technology allows a lighter, stiffer, and stronger link - Courtesy

The attachment to the shock has also been updated. Giant now uses a trunnion mount on the rear dampers, which bolts to the side of the shock body, instead of to an eyelet on top. This update allows the bike's rear end to be shorter, it lowers the center of gravity, and is claimed to improve both braking and pedaling efficiencies through a lower leverage ratio.

Longer, lower geometry

On both the Trance and Anthem, the top tubes have been lengthened, the head angles slackened, and as previously mentioned, the rear ends have been shortened to make the 2017 versions handle better at higher speeds. Giant acknowledges that XC courses are becoming longer and more technical, so the added stability and aggressive positioning was needed.

"This new Trance gets us even closer to that perfect do-it-all trail machine"

Adam Craig, rider for the Giant Factory Off-Road Team, sums up the 2017 Trance by saying: "I’m looking for that one bike that can pretty much handle every kind of trail. With the adjustments to its geometry and the new suspension tweaks, this new Trance gets us even closer to that perfect do-it-all trail machine.”

The Trance is highlighted by an ALLUX SL alloy frame, 140/150mm Fox squish, and 27. 5 - Courtesy

Both the alloy and composite frames use Boost hubs front and back, and are decked out with Giant's signature technologies, including OverDrive tapered head tubes, massive MegaDrive down tubes, and their 92mm wide PowerCore bottom bracket.

XTC gains plus sizes

On the XTC line up, Giant embraces both 29" and 27+ wheels. Three models are offered, all with composite frames: XTC Advanced 29, XTC Advanced+, and XTC Advanced+ SS.

Loaded with a carbon frame and 27 tires, the new XTC Advanced can take XC to a whole new level: Loaded with a carbon frame and 27 tires, the new XTC Advanced can take XC to a whole new level - Courtesy

Sliding dropouts allow for either wheel size, as well as singlespeed swapping ease. Boost hubs front and rear are on tap for all models as well.

"Truly a one-bike solution to all kinds of hardtail fun"

Giant Factory Off-Road Team rider Carl Decker said: "Now that [the XTC] has multiple personalities, it's more fun and useful than ever. With its ability to switch between 27.5+, 29 and even singlespeed, it’s truly a one-bike solution to all kinds of hardtail fun.”

Singletrack awaits

Giant says the all-new Fathom is a "gateway to singletrack." The Fathom bikes are built to blur the line between a classic hardtail and a more capable trail bike. To make that happen, the 27.5" wheel version uses a 120mm fork and the 29" wheel bike rolls with a 100mm fork. Both sizes run on Giant's ALLUX SL frames, which feature OverDrive head tubes for easy fork upgrades.

With 29 - Courtesy

Pricing

Pricing and availability had not been finalized at the time of writing.

Russell Eich

Former technical writer

Russell Eich is BikeRadar's former technical writer. Before joining BikeRadar he worked as a cycling industry salesperson, bike mechanic, and professional guide.
This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2024